Flexible mobile prepaid scratch card recharge

Abstract

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for flexibly controlling prepaid telecommunications charges. A scratch card recharge arrangement is used to prepay for future telecommunications calls. A flexible arrangement is provided to translate between the face value of a scratch card and the amount of telecommunications charges authorized for that scratch card. Advantageously, different vendors of scratch cards may provide different amounts of service for a scratch card with a given face value.

1. A method of authorizing different quantities of telecommunications service for scratch cards with the same value, comprising the steps of:
 responsive to the activation of a scratch card, creating a recharge/replenishment amount derived from the face value of the card and increased in accordance with an identification of a reseller who has arranged to provide telecommunications services in excess of the face value of the scratch card; 
 storing said recharge/replenishment amount for a customer in a database of a prepayment system; and 
 responsive to the customer making a call, debiting said recharge/replenishment amount with standard call charges for said call independent of an identity of said reseller who sold the scratch card to the customer. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of:
 assigning different recharge rate plans to different scratch cards. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of:
 deriving recharge rate plans using programmed rules and input conditions. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3  wherein said programmed rules and conditions are interpreted by a policy management system (rule engine) for interpreting conditions and rule logic rules to derive an output recharge/replenishment amount. 
     
     
       5. A method of authorizing different quantities of telecommunications service for scratch cards with the same value, comprising the steps of:
 responsive to the activation of a scratch card, creating a recharge/replenishment amount derived from the face value of the card and increased in accordance with an identification of a reseller who has arranged to provide telecommunications services in excess of the face value of the scratch card: 
 storing said recharge/replenishment amount for a customer in a database of a prepayment system; 
 responsive to the customer making a call, debiting said recharge/replenishment amount with standard call charges for said call independent of an identity of said reseller who sold the scratch card to the customer; 
 deriving recharge rate plans using programmed rules and input conditions; 
 wherein said programmed rules and conditions are interpreted by a policy management system (rule engine) for interpreting conditions and logic rules to derive an output recharge/replenishment amount; and 
 searching, viewing and editing rule sets and input conditions from a terminal of a service provider. 
 
     
     
       6. A method of authorizing different quantities of telecommunications service for scratch cards with the same value, comprising the steps of:
 responsive to the activation of a scratch card, creating a recharge/replenishment amount derived from the face value of the card and increased in accordance with an identification of a reseller who has arranged to provide telecommunications services in excess of the face value of the scratch card; 
 storing said recharge/replenishment amount for a customer in a database of a prepayment system; 
 responsive to the customer making a call, debiting said recharge/replenishment amount with standard call charges for said call independent of an identity of said reseller who sold the scratch card to the customer; 
 deriving recharge rate plans using programmed rules and input conditions; and 
 interpreting ones of said input conditions to determine recharge life cycle data. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of:
 providing a customer with an indication of a balance consistent with an initial face card amount of said customer's scratch card. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7  further comprising the step of:
 storing a conversion factor between a face card amount and a prepaid charge amount for a customer. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of:
 editing rule sets from a terminal of a service provider to change one or more recharge rate plans. 
 
     
     
       10. Apparatus for providing different quantities of telecommunications service for scratch cards with the same value, comprising:
 means, responsive to the activation of a scratch card, for creating a recharge/replenishment amount derived from the face value of the card and increased in accordance with an identification of a reseller who has arranged to provide telecommunications services in excess of the face value of the scratch card; 
 a database of a prepayment system for storing said recharge/replenishment amount for a customer; and 
 means, responsive to the customer making a call, for debiting said recharge/replenishment amount with standard call charges for said call independent of an identity of said reseller who sold the scratch card to the customer. 
 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 10  further comprising means for assigning different recharge rate plans to different scratch cards. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 10  further comprising means for deriving recharge rate plans using programmed rules and input conditions. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein said programmed rules and conditions are interpreted by a policy management system (rule engine) for interpreting conditions and logic rules to derive an output recharge/replenishment amount. 
     
     
       14. Apparatus for providing different quantities of telecommunications service for scratch cards with the same value, comprising:
 means, responsive to the activation of a scratch card, for creating a recharge/replenishment amount derived from the face value of the card and increased in accordance with an identification of a reseller who has arranged to provide telecommunications services in excess of the face value of the scratch card; 
 a database of a prepayment system for storing said recharge/replenishment amount for a customer; 
 means, responsive to the customer making a call, for debiting said recharge/replenishment amount with standard call charges for said call independent of an identity of said reseller who sold the scratch card to the customer; 
 means for deriving recharge rate plans using programmed rules and recharge conditions; and 
 a terminal of a service provider for searching, viewing and editing said rule sets and input conditions. 
 
     
     
       15. Apparatus for providing different quantities of telecommunications service for scratch cards with the same value, comprising:
 means, responsive to the activation of a scratch card, for creating a recharge/replenishment amount derived from the face value of the card and increased in accordance with an identification of a reseller who has arranged to provide telecommunications services in excess of the face value of the scratch card; 
 a database of a prepayment system for storing said recharge/replenishment amount for a customer; 
 means, responsive to the customer making a call, for debiting said recharge/replenishment amount with standard call charges for said call independent of an identity of said reseller who sold the scratch card to the customer; 
 means for deriving recharge rate plans using programmed rules and input conditions; 
 wherein said programmed rules and conditions are interpreted by a policy management system (rule engine) for interpreting conditions and logic rules to derive an output recharge/replenishment amount; 
 means for interpreting ones of said input conditions to determine recharge life cycle data for said recharge/replenishment amount. 
 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 10  further comprising means for providing a customer with an indication of a balance consistent with an initial face card amount of said customer's scratch card. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 16  further comprising means for storing a conversion factor between a face card amount and a prepaid charge amount for a customer. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 10  further comprising a terminal of a service provider for editing rule sets to change one or more recharge rate plans.